Yak shaving

From JargonWiki

Jump to: navigation, search
The Jargon File

Parts of this article are based on the Jargon File, v. 4.4.7,
a public domain document of hacker jargon.

Image:Glider-small.png
yak shaving
Usage: n.
Etymology: MIT
Derivation: MIT AI Lab, after 2000: orig. probably from a Ren & Stimpy episode.


yak shaving: n.

[MIT AI Lab, after 2000: orig. probably from a Ren & Stimpy episode.] Any seemingly pointless activity which is actually necessary to solve a problem which solves a problem which, several levels of recursion later, solves the real problem you're working on.

[edit]

Sources

Source: yak shaving, in The Jargon File, version 4.4.7.


Public Domain

This article is in the public domain and is not subject to copyright, trademark, or any other legal protection of intellectual property.
Any and all user contributions to this page are also immediately dedicated to the public domain.
Editors of this page must accede to these terms as special conditions of the standard editing privileges.

Image:Public_Domain_sm.png
Retrieved from "http://jargonwiki.com/wiki/Yak_shaving"
Toolbox